


Feeding the Strays

by niennavalier



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Humor, M/M, Tumblr Prompt, coldflash - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-08
Updated: 2017-10-08
Packaged: 2019-01-10 22:56:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12309618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/niennavalier/pseuds/niennavalier
Summary: The universe hated him, Barry was certain. Evil speedsters and alternate dimensions and aliens bent on taking over the Earth apparently weren't enough. No...no, this was far worse than any of that.AKA: Barry just wants a pet, but apparently that's too damn much to ask.





	Feeding the Strays

**Author's Note:**

> Based off a prompt from @shippingchaos over on tumblr: "Coldflash fluff prompt: established relationship where Barry and Len move in together and Barry wants a pet. Len says no. One day the front office sends out a memo to tenants to refrain from feeding strays because there are too many in the area. Barry wakes up in the middle of the night with Len missing, only to find him dressed in black heist gear feeding the strays in the dead of night.”
> 
> Absolutely loved this little bit of adorable ridiculousness, and I hope you do, too!

     It was official, Barry hated everything.

     Because apparently it wasn’t enough that Len didn’t want a pet – a question the thief still refused to give him an answer to, knowing all too well all the right ways to get Barry to shut up (because it definitely was not his fault that his boyfriend was just too damn good at any and all forms of physical intimacy and yes, that was definitely the reason here). But no, now he didn’t even get the strays. And he’d gotten really fond of them too! Enough to the point he figured he might leave Len alone regarding the whole pet thing. Han, Luke, and Leia liked to visit him for food, tended to show up just about every evening. Then there was this gray kitten with the brightest blue eyes who liked to just watch Barry, never really got close, even though Barry was determined to make himself seem friendly enough for it to warm up to him. It had made him think of Len, but he knew he couldn’t use the name for a cat in case the real Len found out – Barry would never live that one down, he knew that for certain. So he’d settled on Spock instead, in reference to a conversation he’d had with Cisco a while back in which the engineer had thought Cold was somehow like some Borg Queen (King?) of the Rogues. They’d eventually decided on Vulcan, though as far as Barry knew, Len didn’t have a clue about all that (and he intended to keep it that way). It also meant Barry could totally use more Star Trek names for the rest of the strays that came by: Kirk, Dax, Uhura, Neelix. Which worked out perfectly well, he figured.

     And then, oh, their landlord just had to put out an announcement – no more feeding the strays because there were “too many”. Which was great. Just great.

     Barry definitely wasn’t sitting on the couch and pouting. Nope. Absolutely not. He was a grown adult and did not sulk over stray cats.

     “Why the long face, Scarlet?” Damn it.

     He just pouted more deeply (okay fine, yes, he’d admit it) as Len perched on the arm of the couch, looking all too much like the cat who’d gotten the cream. Which just reminded him more of Spock and why the hell did he need to think of that? Now he just missed the strays all over again. “Something I’m sure you don’t care about.”

     “Mm, not allowed to feed the strays, are we?”

     Barry crossed his arms and refused to answer. Len was being entirely too playful about this entire thing. It was serious, goddammit! At least it was to Barry, and all because of the man that he’d fallen way too in love with who didn’t like animals.

     The thief slid down onto the cushions at Barry’s side. “Really, Barry –“

     “You know, there wouldn’t even be a problem if you just said it was fine to have a pet.” He slid out of Len’s attempt to hold him. Honestly, he knew he was being just a little ridiculous about it all. But still! He was allowed to be upset! He just wanted a pet, was that so much to ask?

     Len studied him for a second before shrugging, more nonchalant than Barry was actually expecting. Teasing would’ve felt right, some jab at how childish he was being. Or…wait…had he just hurt Len? Some other piece of his past they hadn’t talked about yet? Or –

     His phone rang. Cisco. Something weird going on downtown and yes, he’d be there in a second.

     He looked up and Len –

     Len was smirking. Being his smug self and did he really just pull something to avoid this conversation?

     “If I just got called to stop a Rogue heist…”

     “Promise that’s not what’s going on, Scarlet. Go, be a hero.” At least he didn’t seem hurt by anything Barry had said; now it just looked like he was planning something. Barry wasn’t sure he even wanted to know.

     So he left, knowing Cisco could just call again if he didn’t show.

     And, fortunately, it wasn’t a Rogue heist after all. Although “fortunately” was probably the wrong word. Magic users had started showing, and they were the worst pain in his ass; at least the Rogues had some respect. Long story short, he didn’t get back until late and just climbed into bed with an already-asleep Len, too tired to even think about the issue of pets and stray cats.

* * *

 

     Something woke him a few hours later. Blinking into the dark, Barry had no clue what it was, burying his face back into the pillow, reaching out on instinct to cuddle against Len. He slid his hand across the sheets, searching, and that was really weird because…

     Wait.

     Barry actually sat up, then, rubbing his eyes. Len just…wasn’t there (or at least, he was pretty sure of that – his eyes were still adjusting). “…Len?” Nope. No answer. Not a sound, aside from Barry rustling around in the sheets himself. Which was just…weird. Honestly, Barry was more confused than anything else, his fuzzy, sleep-addled brain just wanting to snuggle against his boyfriend and forget about everything else. Even though he belatedly remembered that he’d been upset with Len less than twelve hours before. And maybe he should still be a little pissed off and think that maybe this was actually a Rogue heist or something, but really, he just wanted Len to come back to bed and hold Barry close so they could fall asleep together and…

     Thirty seconds in and he already missed Len. He was definitely too tired to really stay upset, although he probably wouldn’t have stayed mad for long anyway, too far gone when it came to Len, who definitely did have a reason for his decision, even if he wasn’t telling Barry. (No, it was their landlord Barry was really mad at, and they both knew that). So he hauled himself out of bed and stumbled around the room, slipping on a jacket he was pretty sure was Len’s, then fumbling his way into shoes when wandering around the dark apartment made it clear Len was nowhere to be seen. His mind was made up: he was looking for Len. He was sleepy, yes, but he was sleepy and wanted to cuddle with his boyfriend, so the search would definitely be worth it.

     The lights in the hallway were…jarring, to say the least, and Barry squinted against them, slowly getting his bearings, waking up just a bit more by the second. Which was probably what made him suddenly remember the fact that neither of them were really nobodies without dangerous enemies. Especially Len, compared to CSI Barry Allen.

     Damn it! Why hadn’t Barry thought of that sooner?

     “Len?” he whisper-shouted down the hall before rushing to the back stairwell and zipping down it, feeling the gust of cold wind in the back alley less than a second later. “Len?!”

     “Barry?”

     Barry whipped around, talking before he could really start processing anything. “Len, what the hell are -?” His eyes adjusted then, finding Len dressed in all black – something like his heist gear when he wasn’t pulling a job as Captain Cold – and kneeling on the ground.

     As Spock was eating food directly out of Len’s hand.

     Barry just…he had no words. He started to wonder if he’d accidentally stepped into another dimension or something, because really, that wasn’t exactly out of the question in his line of work.

     Len just rose an eyebrow, the corner of his lip quirking upward, apparently amused by Barry’s confusion. “Thought you’d be more thankful, Scarlet, me keeping the strays around for you and all.”

     “I…you…what?”

     Now Len actually looked concerned. “You were upset when you couldn’t feed the strays anymore. Figured we could feed them at night, away from prying eyes, tried to wake you up, you didn’t.” Len shrugged. “Least I could do was make sure they keep coming back.”

     And that…actually made sense. At the same time…his boyfriend was so weird. Barry loved him.

     He wandered over, crouching down at Len’s side, Spock barely even acknowledging Barry’s existence, even as the other cats flocked toward him, mewing for more food. “You said ‘we’? Thought you didn’t like animals?”

     “Never said that, Barry.”

     “Wait, then…why don’t you want a pet?”

     Spock finished eating, and Len started to idly pet the kitten with a leather gloved hand. Barry wasn’t sure if he was about to explode from the cuteness or the jealousy. It was a bizarre feeling. “Not sure that’s a good idea given our jobs, Barry. We don’t exactly have that much time to devote to caring for a pet.”

     Which, Barry knew, was true. He’d already figured that out. “But what about a cat? They usually don’t need that much.”

     “Lisa’s allergic.”

     “…What?” Of all things – of all the possible reasons Barry had considered – that had never been one of them. Well, yeah, Lisa did spend a lot of time at their place, between occasionally interrupting their mornings and planning with Len while Barry wasn’t around, and no, Barry didn’t wanna force Lisa away from her brother because he wasn’t heartless, but… “I just…I don’t get why that’s the whole reason? I mean, I thought you didn’t even like when Lisa crashed our mornings?”

     Len leveled him with a look. “I don’t. But unless we give her the opportunity, she’ll take to asking me for details directly. Or you, if you ever decide to spend time at Cisco’s place.”

     That was…actually legitimate reasoning. Barry was definitely not a fan of having to disclose details of his life with Len to Lisa. He was also pretty sure Cisco would hate to hear any of that just as much, if not more, than Barry would hate to tell it. Really, both of their sisters were way too involved in their love lives; Iris enjoyed asking him about Len, too, if only not so directly and without actually crashing their mornings. “Okay, fine, but why didn’t you just tell me that before?”

     “You realize only you, me, and Mick know about this? Lisa’s decision, not mine.”

     Barry actually laughed at that. He took back his earlier statement. _Both_ of the Snart siblings were weird. Not that Barry really minded now. Because it meant that, even though he couldn’t have a pet, him and Len had basically adopted around ten strays. He couldn’t really complain

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to come talk to me on [ tumblr! ](http://niennavalier.tumblr.com/) Or send me prompts, that's good, too, although college has me writing in weird fits and spurts.
> 
> And if you like my work, if anyone wanted to [ Buy me a coffee ](http://ko-fi.com/A4573VKH) then I would literally love you forever. That is honestly not me over-exaggerating in any way.


End file.
